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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – Auston Matthews is going back to work on Wednesday, suiting up for the Maple Leafs against San Jose after missing the team's last 14 games with a shoulder injury.

“It feels like forever,” Matthews said of his layoff after Toronto’s optional morning skate on Wednesday. “Just nice to be back with the team. We’ve been playing really well lately, so just to be back in the lineup is very exciting. Going to try to keep things simple and do what I can out there.”

Matthews has been out of commission since Oct. 27, when Winnipeg Jets defender Jacob Trouba laid a hard hit against his left shoulder. Matthews was leading the Leafs in goals (10) and points (16) at the time he went down, but the Leafs managed to post a 9-5-0 record without him and are riding a two-game win streak into Wednesday’s clash with the Sharks.

Having endured a similar shoulder injury last season (to his right side), Matthews knew what to expect from the rehabilitation process, and has an equally good idea about how to have an impact immediately upon returning. In his first three games back last season from three different ailments (back, concussion and shoulder), Matthews posted a combined four goals and one assist.

“[It’s] just keeping things simple, not getting too far ahead of myself,” Matthews said of his plan for Wednesday. “I haven’t played in over a month. Still have to find your game [again] and get your legs back under you, pace of play, your timing; that all just comes back over time. But especially that first period, just try to keep things simple and not be too fancy or cute.”

Prior to getting hurt, Matthews had been on a line with Patrick Marleau and Kasperi Kapanen, but neither he nor head coach Mike Babcock were divulging where exactly Matthews would slot in on Wednesday night. Babcock would only reveal that fourth-line centre Frederik Gauthier would be coming out to make room for Matthews.  

“[Have until] game time to figure it out,” Babcock said of other lineup decisions. “[I] went back and forth about 10 times already, so we’ll see.”

Ending up with his old linemates again would be just fine for Matthews, though. Since they started playing together in Toronto’s third game of the season, Matthews and Kapanen exhibited immediate chemistry, combining on seven scoring plays (four goals by Kapanen, three by Matthews) in their next eight games. 

Kapanen said on Wednesday the two “just click," while Matthews asserted their whole trio had been rolling early on.

“All [of us] bring different things to the table, but all of us want to play fast and help each other out as much as possible,” he said. “[Kap is] playing with a lot of confidence. People don’t know how fast he really is until he’s blowing right by you, but everyone is respecting his speed now so it gives him and his linemates more time and space.”

Whatever his final decision on wingers, Babcock won’t be managing Matthews’ minutes to ease him back in. Through 11 prior games this season, Matthews had been averaging 17:22 per game, which was third-highest among Leafs' forwards at the time. 

“I’m just going to play him and see what happens,” said Babcock. “I really try not to look at the minutes between periods. I try to do what I think is right and at the end of the night they’ve got what they’ve got.”

It’s the same strategy Babcock intends to employ with restricted free agent holdout William Nylander – assuming the Leafs can reach a deal with him before the NHL’s Dec. 1 deadline (after which Nylander won’t be eligible to play this season). Now that Matthews is back, Nylander is the lone regular Toronto is missing.

“Willy is a good player; he’s in great shape, has good edges and can skate,” Babcock said. We think he’ll be back and we think he’ll be up and running in a few weeks, but we’re going to play him when he gets back.”

Matthews acknowledged that "the clock is kind of ticking" on negotiations with his former linemate, but that "hopefully we get him back because everyone obviously wants him here."

In the meantime, Matthews is focused on getting back up to speed. 

“Those first couple shifts, that first period, it’s going to seem fast out there,” he said. “It’s that little adjustment period from being out for a month and not playing in games and just practising. Obviously it’s faster and more intense than practices can ever be, so it’ll be a bit of an adjustment for me.”

 

Dermott 'upset' over Nielsen trade

The Maple Leafs drafted Travis Dermott and Andrew Nielsen one round apart in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, but their paths since then have been entirely divergent.

Dermott (second round, 34th overall) will suit up in his 60th NHL game on the Leafs’ third pairing Wednesday, one night after Nielsen (third round, 65th overall) was traded to the Calgary Flames for forward Morgan Klimchuk without ever having made his NHL debut.

The news was emotional for Dermott, a teammate of Nielsen’s from 2016-18 with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, who considers Nielsen a “good buddy.”

“Personally, selfishly I’m pretty upset about it,” Dermott said on Wednesday. “The hockey world can be pretty cruel sometimes, but it’s exciting for him. I think he’ll get some good opportunities there and hopefully will make the best of a new start.”

The writing appeared to be on the wall for Nielsen when he was scratched for all but eight Marlies’ games this season, on the heels of being benched in 12 of 20 Marlies’ playoff games in last season’s Calder Cup victory.

Nielsen produced 70 points in 152 AHL games for Toronto, a chapter that ended abruptly because, in Dermott’s opinion, the organization has too many good, young defenders.

“It’s tough to fit in when have this many prospects at a young age and you can be overlooked easily,” he said. “If [Nielsen] is not getting opportunities, there must be some pretty good players ahead of him. I think just getting him out of here and into a new environment could be good for him, and personally it will be good for him to get a new location, new mindset, and go from there.”

 

Maple Leafs projected lineup vs. San Jose:

Forwards

Hyman-Tavares-Marner

Marleau-Matthews-Kapanen

Johnsson-Kadri-Brown

Ennis-Lindholm-Leivo

 

Defencemen

Rielly-Hainsey

Gardiner-Zaitsev

Dermott-Ozhiganov

 

Goalies

Andersen starts

Sparks